"There is much to commend in the Citizens Budget Commission (CBC) report,
'Local Taxes in New York: Easing the Burden,' that was unveiled earlier today.
Some of its recommendations echo what our Assembly Minority Conference has called
for. The CBC got it right when it said that 'New York's tax burden is high and
inequitable' - and pointed to the cause-and-effect connection between oppressive state
mandates like Medicaid, and excessive local tax burdens. Especially important was the
report's acknowledgment that the local tax burden between upstate and downstate is
inequitable and downright unfair, as upstate residents pay tax rates that are 45 percent
higher than downstate. Is it any wonder why nearly 1.2 million New Yorkers have moved
to other states since 2000? I commend the CBC report to anyone who mistakenly thinks
state government has a 'revenue problem.' It doesn't - it has a mandate and spending
problem. During the previous Legislative session, our Conference called for enactment
of a property tax cap. The CBC's presentation - and conclusions - further fuels the
argument that capping property taxes is an idea whose time has arrived. Hopefully,
Governor Spitzer will call for a tax cap and reining in Medicaid costs in his forthcoming
State of the State Address."